


Use Somebody

by Anatemnein



Category: Designing Women
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2019-09-23
Packaged: 2020-10-26 23:27:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20750522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anatemnein/pseuds/Anatemnein
Summary: Julia experiences some apprehension regarding her relationship with Anthony, and decides guarding her heart is the best solution.





	1. Chapter 1

~~~~

The rush of voices flooded Mary Jo's ears as she and Julia stepped into the mall. The end of summer had drawn its usual crowd--back to school shoppers, teens desperate for a relax, kids eyeing posters advertising the 'coming soon to a store near you' pre-Christmas time attractions. She looked around thoughtfully before hurrying her pace to catch up with Julia. Mary Jo was here for none of these things; her kids were packed and ready for school, and she had been excited to see them off again in the mornings since the first day of summer. Mary Jo was here for one specific reason: a man. More specifically, J.D.

They had gone their separate ways when work took him to Cincinnati, but work had brought him back just three weeks ago, and his first night back in Atlanta had been spent catching up with Mary Jo, who was grateful to see him return. The dating pool she'd so excitedly leapt into at the end of their relationship was more of a dating cave in which she was an unwitting spelunker, groping blindly without light and tools. A few failed dates later, and she knew dating had passed her by. And just as society flew past her, J.D. flew (literally) back into her life, and made her glad she was not hip to the dating trend.

"Now, Mary Jo, what exactly is it you're looking for?" Julia asked calmly, breezing elegantly through the mall hallway, heads turning as she passed. What Mary Jo had initially regarded somewhat jealously--on her first outing with Julia--had now become a fascination. She loved walking just a step behind Julia and seeing 'it' turn on. Watching as she opened doors, hair sliding off her shoulders, heels clicking on tile as she twisted her lithe figure like an elegant swan with each step...and everywhere, jaws dropping, heads turning, people watching like they'd seen God for the first and last time; 'it' was something Mary Jo, for all her fiery red hair and witty sense of humor, would never know. She accepted Julia was a player in a game she was not part of, a professional in a world she would never set foot in, and Mary Jo was fascinated by it.

Mary Jo sighed deeply, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know," she said sullenly, "I know I want to get J.D something just because, to celebrate his coming back to Atlanta and back into my life, but I don't know what. I suck at this sentimental stuff, you know? I don't know how to get a just because present."

Julia cocked her head sympathetically, and said, "Nonsense, Mary Jo, you're every bit as sentimental as the rest of us."

"No I'm not," she retorted, "you and Charlene are great at it. Hell, even Suzanne would get Noel presents for no reason. I don't know how to do that. I'm so responsible, so focused on the sensible, the logical, I can't walk into a store, just grab something off the shelf and go 'Here ya go, just because'."

Julia smoothed her scarf as a crowd of college age boys stood agape as she walked past. "Well, maybe I can help you, if you really feel like you need it."

"Please, Julia," Mary Jo said desperately, "I'm stuck for ideas."

"Well alright," she said, grabbing Mary Jo's hand momentarily and directing her attention toward the Dillard's at the end of the hall, "let's go in there. The easiest way to start is to pick a store you're either comfortable or familiar with, and work around what you know. Now, you know what J.D likes."

Mary Jo nodded. "Oh sure, he likes ankle socks, nothing higher than that because it's school girlish, he thinks, and plates with patterns so that when the light reflects off it he can't see himself in the reflection eating his food, and--" Mary Jo stopped short, noticing Julia's bewildered expression.

Julia breathed in deeply and tried to fix her face so as not to kill her friend's last shreds of confidence over their expedition. "Well, maybe I should start and we'll see if that helps" she said, steering Mary Jo over to the men's fragrance counter.

"I never knew Anthony wears cologne" Mary Jo said, peering into the glass cases that housed hundreds of darkly colored bottles.

"He doesn't, or that is to say, he didn't, until we were passing through the other day and I got to looking at a rack of scarves, and when I went to see where he'd wandered off to I found him hunched over this very counter, sniffing away. He doesn't know I noticed, because I kept out of view, but I realized that with money having been tight for so many years of his life, Anthony's never had a nice, real bottle of cologne."

Mary Jo cocked her head. "See now, Julia, this is why you're great at this stuff, because you noticed something as small as that whereas I would've been upset to have been left at the scarf rack."

Julia swatted Mary Jo's hand playfully as a sales girl approached them. "May I help you?" she asked politely, smiling shyly.

"Yes," Julia said smoothly, "I'm looking for something for someone special--"

"A gentleman?" the young lady asked curiously.

Julia blushed just a touch. "Yes, we've been dating for a few months, and I want to get him some cologne, something real nice, he never treats himself."

"I wouldn't say that was true" Mary Jo said under her breath shooting a saucy glance at Julia, who whacked her on the shoulder and shot her a glare.

"Of course," the sales girl said, "do you know what kind of scents he likes?"

"Well, he was here the other day," Julia said, shifting thoughtfully, "and from the sample strips I fished out of his pocket when he wasn't looking, I know it was between 'Sahara Noir' by Tom Ford and 'Paco' by Paco Rabanne."

The girl nodded, smiling as she dug the bottles out of the glass cases. "Both have been very popular this year; he has good taste." She placed the bottles gently on the counter, and Julia turned to Mary Jo curiously. "What do you think Mary Jo?"

Mary Jo picked up the bottles slowly and inhaled, pausing thoughtfully after each whiff. She nodded and pointed to the Tom Ford. "That one, definitely. It's manly and confident, but not too rugged, like Anthony."

Julia smiled and looked at the girl. "The Tom Ford it is, then. Could I have it gift wrapped, please?"

"Of course" the girl said, taking the bottle to the register.

"See what you did there, Mary Jo?" Julia asked, eyeing her intently.

Mary Jo looked a little flustered; for all the years she'd known Julia, she still withered sometimes under her intense, penetrating gaze. "No, sorry, was I too quick to choose, Julia?"

Julia nudged her gently. "No, Mary Jo, you just did what you thought impossible, and chose a 'just because' gift." She paused, smiling at Mary Jo. "You see, you were able to make a confident decision because you didn't have a chance to work yourself into a frenzy. I gave you two options, and with only a few seconds thought you chose the one I would've picked myself. You're welcome" Julia said, grinning slyly as she paid for the bottle and took the bag from the girl.

Mary Jo shot her a wry glance and said, "Well, very nicely done, Julia. I'll give you this one, you can wear your crown of right-ness with your usual self-confidence." She shook her head and fell in line beside Julia as they made their way out of the store.

Julia shot her a snarky look and bit back a smile. "Now do you feel better about getting J.D. something?" she said, eyeing Mary Jo intently.

Mary Jo looked up at Julia and smiled. "Yes," she said, nodding concedingly, "yes I do, Julia, thank-you."

Julia smiled again, but Mary Jo saw distance in those eyes. She was thinking about Anthony now, and Mary Jo knew Julia was keen to get back home. The loneliness Mary Jo knew was always inside was taking hold, and, though Julia would never admit it, the longer she and Anthony were together, the harder being away from him became, and she knew it scared Julia.

She was afraid to need someone.


	2. Chapter 2

"Charlene, I told you, if you eat one more of my rice cakes I will smother all of Olivia's baby bottle nipples with peanut butter so that no milk comes out and her bones shrivel until they become dust" Suzanne hissed through clenched teeth, clutching an empty rice cake package.

Charlene's mouth dropped open from the other side of the counter in shock. "Alriiiight, alright, Suzanne, could you please not threaten my daughter's livelihood over some silly rice cake?"

Suzanne narrowed her eyes angrily. "I'll stop threatening babies when I stop feeling hungry" she snapped, whacking the package on the counter as the front door opened and Mary Jo and Julia stepped inside.

"Hey y'all" Mary Jo said cheerfully, tightly clutching the bag that held the sweater she'd picked up for J.D. during her sojourn with Julia.

"Is Anthony here?" Julia asked somewhat urgently, hoping the answer was yes.

"No, he had that function at his school tonight, remember? The debate team he helped organize is going toe to toe on a supreme court ruling, he took the rest of the afternoon off" Charlene said, casting a weary glance at Suzanne to make sure she wasn't still in mortal danger.

"Oh" Julia said, trying to hide her disappointment as she set her bag on her desk.

"He said he'd try to stop back by though" Charlene added, noticing Julia's disappointment. She hopped off her seat and made her way to Julia's desk as she said, "Also, Julia, can I ask a huge favor of you?"

"What's that?" Julia said as smoothly as she could, trying not to show her disappointment.

"Bill made dinner reservations for us at the last minute at that new Italian place, would it be alright if you watched Olivia for us?"

Julia hesitated, trying to fend off the feelings of sadness she felt over spending a night alone. "Well, why can't Ms. Philpott just watch her, Charlene?" she asked, slightly annoyed at the idea of having to be responsible for a baby when she was already feeling uneasy herself.

"She's in Michigan visiting her sister, we gave her the week off" Charlene said, shifting shyly. "Oh please, Julia, it'll only be until 8:30, we'll come get her straight away. Bill and I need this time together."

"I can take her" Mary Jo offered from her seat at her desk.

Julia shook her head quickly, trying to be diplomatic about the situation. "No, no it's fine, Charlene, I'll keep her, it's no trouble" she said, forcing a smile.

Charlene saw those dark clouds rolling in behind Julia's eyes, and hoped silently Olivia could take Julia's mind off of whatever problem it was that was on her mind.

"Oh, thank you so much Julia" she said, clapping her hands excitedly, as Julia nodded and smiled again, feeling those dark clouds roll in. 


	3. Chapter 3

It was nearing 7:45 pm, and Julia had long since abandoned all hope of seeing Anthony at any point during the evening as she sat on her sofa, playing quietly with Olivia, who was sitting happily in Julia's lap, clapping her hands against Julia's hands, and lifting her angelic face toward hers, giving Julia little puppy dog eyes that seemed to be begging Julia not to send her to bed soon. Her baby's intuition was sharp, as bedtime was usually 8pm. Julia softened at the sight of those big doll-like eyes, and thought that if Olivia wasn't tired, there was no point in exacerbating her loneliness by putting Olivia to bed straight away. She kissed Olivia's soft forehead and clapped her hands again, watching Olivia giggle and respond with a few more hearty pats.

The front door to Sugarbaker's swung open, and Anthony stepped inside. He'd been relieved to still see the lights on, and knew that meant that Julia was downstairs. "Heyyyy baby" he said happily, eyeing Olivia with some confusion. "I tried calling you earlier, but it looks like somebody else had you tied up."

Julia shifted on the sofa excitedly, glad to see he'd been able to make it over after all. "Hi darlin'," she said somewhat gloomily, "I must've been giving Olivia her bath."

"Did you adopt this child on our behalf?" he asked playfully, coming around to her side of the sofa and sitting down beside her, sensing she wasn't her usual self as he stretched an arm around the back of the sofa and settled in beside her.

Julia giggled a little and looked back down at Olivia. "No, no, Charlene and Bill went out to dinner, and Mrs. Philpott is on vacation, so I'm playing nanny tonight."

Anthony leaned toward Julia and kissed her cheek, fluffing Olivia's hair with his hand as he said, "That's good, because I don't think we would've been able to pass her off as half black."

Julia shook her head and smiled. "How'd everything go with your debate team?" she asked softly.

"We tied" Anthony said wearily. "Or, rather, I called a tie because I didn't want to be there until my 80th birthday, so we decided to reconvene tomorrow night and see if we can't pull out a victory. Kinda interesting though, I've seen my classmates argue over what shade of red a tube of lipstick was with so much passion they could've changed the order of the color wheel, but I guess the fire wasn't on our side tonight" Anthony said, shaking his head as Julia nudged him playfully.

She turned back to Olivia and patted her hands again, and Anthony looked at her intently. "Julia?" he said quietly.

"Yes darlin'?" she said, looking at him briefly.

"You alright?" he said, cocking a brow.

She forced a smile and nodded her head, bouncing Olivia and rising to her feet. "Oh sure, just tired is all, I guess. I think I'll give Olivia another snack, she seems a little hungry still" she said as smoothly as she could, stepping past him.

Anthony looked at her curiously, rising to his feet as well. "Well, let me give you hand" he said, as he began to follow her.

Julia turned to face him, shaking her head and smiling again. "No, Anthony, it's alright, really. Bill and Charlene will be here soon, and once they pick up Olivia I'll be headed to bed."

Anthony cocked his head, studying her carefully. He knew Julia well enough--and had known her long enough--to know when something was bothering her; his knowledge of her personality extended far enough for him to also have picked up a keen awareness of the fact that when Julia had a problem, her first instinct was to push people away and try to solve things on her own, something that usually only exacerbated the issue. "Julia, it's really no problem--"

She shook her head again, and took a step back. "No, it's fine, really. I'm just tired. I should go feed Olivia" she said, turning and heading toward the door to the hallway that led to the storeroom and dining room.

Anthony rested his hands on the counter as she placed her hand on the doorknob. "Well, alright, I'll see you tomorrow, if you're sure you're okay" he said, uneasily.

"Okay" she said as smoothly as she could manage, opening the door and shutting it behind her. Anthony remained standing at the counter for a few more seconds, remembering a conversation he'd had with Dondi two weeks ago: "That's a woman brings so much light from a place so painfully dark" she'd said to him.

"What do you mean, Dondi?" he'd asked her then over dinner.

"I mean that even when you love her there's something inside always telling her you don't" she'd said softly, placing a hand over his.


	4. Chapter 4

It was 8:30 am the next morning, and Julia was already at her desk, working steadily, catalog pages turning swiftly as she jotted down ideas for a breakfast nook for a client. The previous night had gone well enough after Anthony left. Olivia had been calm and playful the rest of the evening, and, as promised, Charlene was there promptly at 8:30 to pick her up. Julia had wished her and Bill a goodnight, given a swift kiss to Olivia, and made her way upstairs, laying awake until 12:00 am, staring at the ceiling. She knew well what was eating her. That feeling of wanting that had crept into her chest since she started dating Anthony four months ago spooked her; this was not the first time that her emotional dependence on someone else had increased, and Julia felt as though her self-control was being usurped by her emotions. The older she got, the more Julia resented what she viewed as her inability to operate independently. Both of her previous relationships had ended--neither having taken the path she'd hoped they would--and at this stage the idea of depending on anyone again only to be disappointed again was getting old to her, and she thought that if she could reign in her affection for Anthony then she could get a grip on her emotions as well, and be less bruised should their relationship come to a halt.

She breathed in a sigh of relief at her desk, knowing the task was not impossible, and continued working when she heard the front door open. She turned, expecting to see a customer, but instead saw Anthony, who was closing the door and crossing the floor to her desk. He pulled up a chair, stuck it on the other side of her desk, and looked her straight in the eyes and said, "We've gotta talk."

Julia froze for a moment, and said, "Why, Anthony? I'm fine, I'm just tired--"

"No you're not," he said, eyeing her intently, "I know you well enough to know there's something bothering you, and I think I know what it is."

She paused. "You do?" she asked softly.

Anthony smiled and looked down for a moment, resting his hands on the desk. "Julia, we may have only been dating for four months, but you seem to forget I've known you a lot longer, and I've watched you deal with your fair share of disappointments, like you've watched me deal with mine."

She looked down shyly, setting her hands in her lap. "I have" she replied softly.

"Aaannndd, there's some things that have been on my mind as well, and I think we need to have an honest conversation with each other about our relationship."

"Well, what's been on your mind, Anthony?" Julia asked, looking a little concerned.

"Nuh-uh, Pale Face, you first" he said teasingly, lifting an eyebrow.

She bit back a smile, and looked away again, playing with her sleeve. "Well," she paused, sighing, trying to find the right words, "you're right, I have had some things on my mind. I've had a lot of things on my mind, really, foolish things maybe." She looked up at him for a moment and bit her lip and said, "I guess I'm just worried that things won't last between us. And not because of our differences, really, but..." she trailed off, trying to figure out what exactly to say without sounding simple.

"...but because of our differences," Anthony said, nodding his head, "because since we talked to Dondi you're worried that maybe she was right, one of us will figure out we're too different, break things off, hurt the business, hate each other, and you'll feel stranded like every time you broke up with Reese, is that right?"

Julia stared at Anthony, somewhat shocked. "How did you know?" she asked, with an almost childlike innocence.

Anthony looked away momentarily, and said nervously, "Because I've had the same thoughts, and I didn't tell you because I thought that I was the only one thinking them." He leaned closer to her. "So it looks like we're both foolish."

Julia smiled shyly at him, nodding her head. "It sure looks that way" she said softly. Then she narrowed her eyes and looked at him suspiciously as she said, "Why were you having these thoughts?"

Anthony laughed in spite of himself, shaking his head at her. He shrugged and said, quietly, "I don't know, I guess because you're different from most of the women I've dated, and I'm different from most of the men you've dated, and I guess there've been a few times where I looked at you and wondered why you'd want to date someone you met five years ago in a grocery store parking lot straight outta prison."

"Anthony!" Julia said, somewhat shocked, "you are not your past, I've always told you that. What happened wasn't even really your fault."

"Yeah, but Julia, what do you think other people think who know about my past? They're looking at us thinking what's a smart, beautiful, successful woman doing dating an ex-convict who can barely keep himself together?"

"Anthony, I don't care what other people think" Julia retorted.

"No, but you care what you think, and what you've thought is the same as what I thought, which are that our pasts are our greatest difference" he said gently.

Julia looked a little miffed, but eventually sighed. "I guess, in some small part of my brain--very small, mind you--" she said, flashing him a stern look, "that did cross my mind. But not in the way you think it did."

"Well, how then?" Anthony asked, somewhat confused.

Julia bit her lip, wondering whether or not to say anything, before she finally admitted, "I guess I thought that you might one day look at everything you've accomplished, all the hard work you've put in and all the achievements you don't owe anyone credit for besides yourself and wonder what you're doing dating a...'rich girl'...who hasn't had to work as hard." She paused, bit back a few tears, looking at her lap as she said very softly, "I guess I thought maybe you would feel ashamed."

Anthony sat in stunned silence for a few seconds, before he slid around to her side of the desk, placing his chair beside hers and putting one arm around her while taking her other hand in his. "Julia?" he said softly, waiting until she looked up at him. "You might've had a cleaner path to success than I did, but there's nobody that's worked as hard for her dream as you have" he said, rubbing her arm gently as he pulled her closer. "You lost somebody you thought you'd spend your whole life with, and you didn't let that define you, or stop you. You took a chance and put yourself out there, and no matter how many men--and women--looked at you and said you'd never make it, you never stopped persevering." He paused as she wiped away a few tears and looked away shyly. "You know why I came to work for you, Julia?"

She shrugged, glancing up at him as she wiped her cheeks again. "I guess I thought you thought I was pretty" she said, blushing a little.

He laughed at her and shook his head gently. "No, baby. Well, yes, yes definitely, I did--" he said, nodding furiously, eliciting a shy giggle from her, "--but that's not why."

"So why then?" she asked.

"I'm here everyday because I respect you, Julia. Because nobody works as hard as you do, and the least I can do is try to keep up. And because when I told you that day five years ago that I'd been to prison, you didn't see an ex-con, you saw a person with a future" he said, feeling tears well in his eyes. The thought had always lived at the back of his mind, but somehow saying it out loud helped it hit home for him.

She looked at him tenderly and placed a hand on his leg. "Darlin'," she said quietly, "I always knew you had a future, and you make me so proud, Anthony, everyday. I don't know where I'd be if I hadn't met you then, and if you hadn't taken a chance on a nosy, crazy woman in a parking lot." They both laughed, and she stroked his leg. "I didn't ask you to come work with me just because I'm nice, Anthony."

"No?" he said, feeling emotion well up in him again.

She shook her head slowly. "No, I asked you because I saw someone so special who just needed a break, and because I knew you could teach me things that I needed to learn that I couldn't learn in the world I grew up in." She looked at him seriously as she said, "I always knew you would've made it regardless, but I know that I wouldn't be the person I am today if it wasn't for you, because you made me better."

Anthony shook his head, as a few tears slipped down his cheeks. "Baby..." he said quietly, pulling her close and hugging her tightly. They held each other for a long while, before Julia whispered in his ear, "Anthony?"

"Yes, baby?" he whispered.

"I love you" she said softly.

He smiled to himself and kissed her shoulder as he said, "I love you too, baby, so much."

Julia smiled, and they squeezed one another again before pulling apart slowly, and looking at each other shyly. "You know darlin'," Julia said softly, smiling at him gently, "I'm so glad we had this talk."

Anthony smiled. "Me too, baby" he said quietly, leaning forward and planting a kiss on her temple. He looked at her somewhat teasingly as he pulled back and said, "Can I have my present now?"

Julia's mouth dropped open in surprise and she said, "How did you know, you little sneak?"

Anthony looked away with a boyish look on his face and said, "I may or may not have caught you peeking at those fragrance strips in my pocket when you thought I wasn't looking."

She whacked him on the chest, and giggled. "I can't get you anything" she said, reaching behind her and setting the box in his hands. She expected him to open it, but instead he set an envelope in her lap, and said, "You open yours while I open mine."

She looked at him curiously but slid the envelope open as he tore into the box, spritzing himself before she could even remove its contents. "Thank god, I haven't had a chance to shower in a few days" he said jokingly, leaning in to give her a kiss. "Thank you, baby, this is the nicest thing anybody's ever given me."

She knew this to be true, and blushed as she looked at the ticket in her hand which read, 'Reserved for Julia Sugarbaker, One Front Row Seat. Debate Night'. She looked at him in surprise and confusion, and said, "Anthony, what's this? I thought debate night started last night?"

He shook his head smiling at her. "Nah, I just told you that so I could surprise you with this. We were rehearsing last night. You know I coached my team mates, well...I wanted you to be there in the front row as a fill the role of moderator as well."

Her eyes sparkled with pride and she said, "Anthony, are you serious?"

He nodded. "Yep, I'll be acting as moderator, making sure each team keeps within their time limit and so on. It's nothing fancy, and I couldn't be a judge since I coached them, but they didn't have another moderator so I'm their guy."

"Oh darlin'!" Julia said happily, hugging him again and pulling back to look at him intently, "I'm so proud of you, I can't believe it. All your hard work is finally paying off." She shook her head and bit back a few tears as she hugged him again. "You really want me to be there?" she asked cautiously. "Won't that make you nervous?"

He shook his head. "It would make me feel honored" he said confidently. Julia grinned happily as the front door opened behind them.

"Hey y'all" Mary Jo called out. She paused, noticing their tear stained faces, and said, "Everything alright?"

Julia and Anthony glanced at each other and Anthony turned back to her and said, "Everything's great" as he smiled at Julia and they squeezed one another again before he got up and she turned back to her work.

"Okay..." Mary Jo said, hanging her coat up slowly and eyeing them curiously.

"I'll see y'all later, I've got to run to the Beacham's and check on that wallpaper job" Anthony said, winking at Julia as he made his way toward the back door.

"See you at lunch, darlin'" she said, winking back.

Mary Jo made her way to her desk very slowly and sat down for a moment before looking up at Julia again. "Y'all have a good talk?" she asked slowly, eyeing Julia at her desk, who was now smiling happily to herself.

Julia looked up at Mary Jo from her daze, and smiled happily at her, blushing and looking back down as she said, "Oh yes, yes we did" returning to her own world, looking quite contented.

Mary Jo shook her head, and grinned to herself. "Sounds good" she said under her breath, feeling perplexed by her friends, but happy for them nonetheless. 


	5. Chapter 5

The auditorium was still brightly lit as Julia cautiously made her way toward the backstage door, having arrived early so as to say hello to Anthony before the debate. She cracked the door open a bit, stepping inside shyly, and spotted him standing a few yards away, rereading his note cards studiously.

"Hi darlin'" she said softly, coming up beside him.

He spun around with a look of surprise on his face, and grinned excitedly. "Hey baby," he said, giving her a quick kiss, "whatcha doin' back here?"

She looked at him excitedly as she said, "Just wanted to wish you good luck before your debate." She squeezed his hand gently, whispering, "I'm so proud of you."

He looked at her tenderly, slipping a hand around her waist as he said, "Wellllll, is there a, uh, prize if my team and I pull out a victory?" he asked slyly, cocking a brow at her.

"Hmmm," she hummed softly, "I might be wearing it...but I guess you'll have to win to find out."

He smirked at her as a voice called out, "Hey Anthony!"

They both turned to see a few students--all of them younger than Anthony--making their way toward him. One of the girls looked over at Julia with what was a look of awe as she asked, "Anthony, is this your girlfriend?"

He smiled proudly and said, "Indeed she is, so everybody keep your hands to yourself or I'll mop the floor with you. This is Julia. Julia, this is Joshua, Eddie, Annie and Colleen."

The two boys stared at Julia for a moment, before Joshua reached over and knocked Anthony playfully in the arm, shaking his head as he said, "You lucky bastard." He leaned toward Julia and said playfully, "Listen, if things with Bouvier don't work out--"

"Joshua?" Anthony said, looking at him intently, "back off."

Joshua stepped back as Julia nudged Anthony, smiling at the young man politely. "It's nice to meet you all, I better get going so that you all can get ready."

"I'll walk you out" Anthony said, shooting Joshua a stern gaze. They stepped past the group and all eyes followed Julia out the door. One of the girls spoke up and said, "Good lord she's gorgeous. It's no wonder Anthony's so crazy about her, he lucked out."

Joshua nodded, still in a daze. "No kidding. Where do ya meet a woman like that?"


	6. Chapter 6

Anthony, Julia, Joshua, Eddie, Annie, and Colleen stepped into Fabrigio's, the smell of wine and pasta tingling their noses as they shut the door behind them. Anthony's team had pulled out a clear victory, and it put him in a celebratory mood as he'd stepped off the stage and said, "How about dinner on me?" to everyone, as they nodded enthusiastically. Realistically, he was more interested in the prize Julia said she was wearing, but his team had worked hard and he figured he owed it to them to show them how proud he was. He knew they were younger, and knew even better that when he was their age, having someone around to show him some gratitude would've meant everything to him. Julia had been the first person in a long time to evince any feelings of pride for him, aside from Dondi.

They slid into a large booth, Anthony and Julia on one end, and the others on the other side, although Anthony had made the mistake of letting Julia slide in first, and he noticed Joshua scooting closer to her.

"So, Ms. Sugarbaker, what do you do for a living?" Joshua asked, grinning at her charmingly.

She smiled, catching the stares of Anthony's other teammates as well. It gave her that same warm sense of accomplishment she'd felt so often when she was young, the look in the eyes of a person that she'd eventually recognized as universal, that certain cock of the brows that told her that, yes, she was beautiful. "I'm a decorator" she said warmly.

Joshua felt a flutter in his chest. Julia fascinated him, in probably the same way she fascinated Anthony, he figured. She was a woman who defied explanation. College hadn't acquainted him with a word that would help him define or describe her, but he knew that he was, as his mother would say, 'smitten'. He'd hated that word since he was a child. It sounded so old, so outdated, but looking at Julia now he couldn't figure another word that would accurately describe his feelings. He remembered a piece he'd read in high school English class by Edgar Allan Poe called "Ligeia", and a passage which read: " In beauty of face no maiden ever equalled her. It was the radiance of an opium dream...". At the time he'd thought the story somewhat foolish, too poetic for his tastes, but with her dark hair, grey-green eyes, and white skin, Joshua could think of no other woman who could personify the mythos of Ligeia. He wondered if Anthony was familiar with that story.

Colleen, who was thinking the same thing as Joshua, said, "You own your own business, right?"

Julia smiled, but looked at Anthony briefly before she said, "Well, yes, I founded it, but we're both equal partners in the firm."

"Interior decorating," Joshua said, nodding and smiling, "that's neat."

"Aren't you in law school with me, Josh?" Anthony asked, cocking a brow pointedly at him. He wasn't worried about Julia, but he knew Joshua was a, as he called it, 'connoisseur of women', and Anthony knew Joshua was getting a little carried away with himself as he eyed Julia carefully.

Joshua threw him a snarky look and settled back just a touch as Julia nudged Anthony teasingly under the table with her foot.

"Mr. Bouvier?" came a robust, hearty voice.

Anthony turned to see one of his law professors standing beside him. "Mr. Calloway, what a nice surprise" he said pleasantly, shaking the gentleman's hand.

"Indeed, I do miss having you in my class; last semester was a real treat. I see you have Annie, Colleen, and Eddie with you as well."

Anthony nodded his head enthusiastically as he said, "Oh yes, well they're part of the debate team I formed, and we won so this is a celebratory post-victory meal, if you will."

Mr. Calloway laughed, and Anthony turned to Julia and said, "Mr. Calloway, this is my other teammate, Joshua, and my girlfriend, Julia Sugarbaker."

Mr. Calloway's eyes sparkled with delight as he looked at Julia appreciatively. "Well, I dare say, the pleasure is most certainly mine" he said smoothly, his British accent turning from robust enthusiasm to a genteel drawl. He turned to Anthony and said, "Would it be alright if I stole you all for moment, my wife is always eager to meet some of my students, especially the good ones."

Anthony looked at Annie, Eddie, and Colleen and they all nodded happily and excused themselves and followed Mr. Calloway.

"You're not a student of his?" Julia asked, turning to Joshua.

Joshua shook his head. "No, but I'm okay with that."

Julia bit back a smirk and said, "Joshua, you know you'll have to find a different southern belle to mingle with, right? Someone who isn't already dating Anthony?"

Joshua sighed, looking sullen and defeated like a ten year old child. "Well, Ms. Sugarbaker...how does one attract a woman like you? I mean how did Anthony do it?"

A gentle smile pulled at the corner's of Julia's lips, and she paused for a moment, before saying, "He respected me, always, and he trusted me, even when I was wrong and foolish. It's not hard to love someone who'd sacrifice so much of himself to see that you get what you need."

Joshua nodded thoughtfully as the others were crossing the room toward the table. "I'll have to try to work on that" he said sincerely. Much as he enjoyed being a 'connoisseur' as it were, he had to admit that none of the women he'd entertained were nearly as interesting as Julia. Perhaps the grass was greener, and his approach could use a little work.

Anthony slid back into the booth beside Julia, and the others followed suit, settling in beside Joshua. Conversation began quickly, and before long everyone was laughing amongst themselves as they traded anecdotes and stories about school, work, and the like. At one point Anthony nudged Julia and said, "What exactly was Joshua asking you so intently over here earlier?"

Julia flashed him a look, having detected the note of jealousy in his voice, and he quickly added, "Not that you have to tell me, I have no right to know."

She nudged him playfully, and whispered, "Jealous Mr. Bouvier, Joshua asked me how on earth you managed to get lucky enough to land a woman who loves you as much as I do."

Anthony smiled sheepishly and said, "And what did you tell him?"

She grabbed his arm tenderly and said, "I told him I was the lucky one."

He blushed deeply and she winked at him and gave his cheek a quick stroke before returning to the conversation at hand, which involved an argument between Annie and Colleen regarding whether or not the feminist cause is helped or hindered by bold displays of the nude female body in photographs. 


	7. Chapter 7

"And how're things going between you and Ms. Sugarbaker?" Dondi asked, turning down the volume on her television set so she could hear Anthony. It was late, around 9 pm the following evening, and he had rung her at home, as he was wont to do as frequently as he could manage.

"Very well, Dondi, I think we've finally hit our stride and ironed out all the kinks in our relationship" he said, smiling happily to himself as he looked across the room at the scarf that Julia had left in his apartment the night before.

Dondi laughed knowingly. "Oh baby, there's no such thing as ever ironing out all the kinks. Years of time and love and there will still be dark waters ahead, it's just a way of life."

Anthony nodded. "Yes, Dondi, I know" he said, sounding somewhat like a trite ten year-old whose mother was telling him he'd catch a cold if he left his jacket open.

A mist clouded Dondi's eyes and she turned the volume off on her TV set entirely, and delivered a gypsy's warning: "I'm serious, Anthony. There will come a time when the clouds behind those eyes will roll in, and you'll have to be strong enough to help Julia remember that you can love her."

"I know, Dondi. I already have seen those clouds, and we had ourselves a nice, long talk a few days ago, and Julia and I both intend to build a solid foundation for each other. No repeats of past mistakes, past relationships...and I think we stand a good chance considering all that we've been through as friends."

Dondi listened thoughtfully and paused for a few moments before saying, "Anthony, you remember what I told you about Julia a few days ago?"

Anthony was wiping his hands absentmindedly on a kitchen towel, and stopped briefly, as he said slowly, "So much light from a place so painfully dark?"

She nodded, even though he couldn't see it. "Baby, I'm not saying your relationship won't work. I'm telling you that you're gonna have to treat her better than you treated anyone before. She's not like Lola, or Lita or whatever the name of that one young lady was that roared into my drive way in her 'beamer'" she said, rolling her eyes at the memory. "People who love deeply hurt deeply--you have to take care of her like she's always taken care of you, and still does."

Anthony nodded in agreement, and the conversation continued pleasantly for a few more minutes before Dondi excused herself so she could go to bed. Anthony hung up the phone and stared at it for a moment, then picked it up from its cradle and dialed Julia's number.

"Hello?" came her soft voice after a few rings, smooth and somewhat sleepy sounding.

"Hey baby, were you sleeping?" Anthony asked gently.

Julia smiled to herself from her place in her bed, and laid her book aside. "No darlin', I wasn't, not yet. Is everything okay?"

"Oh yeah," he said happily, smiling, "I just wanted to call you and make sure you were doing alright."

Julia giggled softly and said, "Yes, I am fine, how're you Mr. Bouvier?"

"I do fine too, thank you" he said teasingly, placing the dish towel neatly on the counter. He paused for a moment before he said, "I just wanted to tell you I love you, before you go to sleep."

Julia smiled, snuggling into her bed sheets contentedly. "Awww, thank you, Anthony. I love you too. You're too sweet."

Anthony smiled to himself, knowing she was smiling. "And you're special to me, and I hope you sleep well, and I will see you tomorrow at 8:45 am sharp for our morning coffee, okay?"

"Okay, darlin'. Goodnight, I love you" she said quietly.

"I love you too, baby. Goodnight" he said softly, hanging up the phone. He stared at it thoughtfully again before making his way to his bedroom and slipping underneath the covers, looking intently at the ceiling above him. He remembered all the moments over the years during which he'd watched admirably as Julia handled the ups and downs of her life and her business, never putting herself before anyone else and always making sure everything came out even in the end. The resilience of her character had been something that he'd marveled at quite often, but the conversation with Dondi was still fresh in his mind, and he thought of a saying he'd heard in one of his English classes, a verse by Dante Alighieri:

"I made my own house be my gallows."

The verse at the time hadn't quite landed with Anthony, but thinking about Julia he understood it now.

Luckily, the phrase Dondi had used a few weeks ago held meaning for him as well, and comfort. It reminded him that even out of darkness, light always manages to find a way through. 


End file.
